Sahar Fatima Prism
Six workers say Planned Parenthood Southeast retaliated against them over their opposition of what they described as the organization abandoning its priorities and culture
Six former employees have filed a federal lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Southeast (PPSE) and its parent organization Planned Parenthood of America, alleging that they were fired in 2025 for opposing what they describe as a “radical abandonment” of the organization’s priorities.
The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Georgia on Oct. 19 under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination due to race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
The workers allege that leaders at PPSE said, “We talk about abortion too much, we focus too much on it,” and ended PPSE participation in Pride events, among other accusations.
Prism previously reported on workers’ complaints that PPSE was straying from its progressive mission under interim CEO Mairo Akposé, who was terminated in December after staff went public with their complaints in an online campaign called “Save PPSE.” Akposé herself filed a Title VII complaint against PPSE on Oct. 14, alleging racial and religious discrimination.
PPSE serves Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, states that have severely restricted abortion access to devastating results, particularly after the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturned protections granted for decades under Roe v. Wade.
“The simple fact is that we were fired from Planned Parenthood because we supported Planned Parenthood,” Jaylen Black, the former vice president of communications and marketing at PPSE and one of the plaintiffs, said in a press release. “It would be ironic if it wasn’t so heartbreaking and illegal.”
In a statement to Prism, PPSE did not directly address the two lawsuits but said it is committed to delivering affordable, compassionate reproductive care and sex education, including abortion care as allowed under state laws.
“We strive to create a professional work environment where every member of our team feels valued and respected,” the statement reads. “Our organizational values are clear: We believe that every person deserves to make their own healthcare decisions, including whether to continue a pregnancy. We are proud to provide high-quality care to the LGBTQ+ community, free of judgment. And we will never waiver in our commitment to building a world where equitable access to care is available for all.”
Planned Parenthood of America did not immediately respond to Prism’s requests for comment.
PPSE announced in December that an independent review it commissioned had cleared leadership of any wrongdoing following workers’ complaints. The Save PPSE campaign rejected the findings of the report, which was not made public.
The six workers’ lawsuit alleges that in the face of a hostile landscape for reproductive and LGBTQIA+ rights in the South, PPSE “chose the path of trimming its sails against the wind” by installing new leadership that was not aligned with the organization’s core values.
The complaint lays out how the employees were let go from their positions after raising concerns internally.
According to the lawsuit, Mississippi-based Health Educator and Outreach Coordinator LaTerria Shelby was laid off in July 2025 after questioning why PPSE had canceled several LGBTQIA+ health outreach events in the state. She was told that her termination was due to budget reasons.
That same month, PPSE Director of Education Jessica Swanson submitted an internal complaint that Akposé deadnamed a transgender employee during a staff call. Then in mid-September, the lawsuit states, human resources received a complaint about gender-based scrutiny from Georgia State Director Kaylah Oates-Marable, Public Policy and Organizing Manager Hannah Davis, and Georgia-based Community Organizer Kim Luong. All four were then “abruptly fired” later that month, according to the lawsuit.
Black, who was the highest-ranking member of PPSE’s communication team, according to the lawsuit, was terminated in December while on medical leave after sharing feedback with Akposé about the mistreatment of a transgender staffer and about the policy direction of the organization. According to the press release, she was on leave due to life-threatening injuries from an accident and had requested accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); she was denied and fired instead.
“I’ve wanted to work for Planned Parenthood since I was 17 years old,” Oates-Marable said in the press release. “Now that dream is a nightmare not just for me but for everyone who counted on PPSE when there was nowhere else to turn.”
The plaintiffs also highlighted complaints against former PPSE Executive Director Karen Rene, who was hired in August 2025. The lawsuit alleges a series of inappropriate comments by Rene, such as referring to an abortion procedure as “dismembering babies” during a community event, making comments to Davis and Luong about them making babies with their husbands, and telling Oates-Marable that she had a “body that women would pay for.”
Rene, a former city councilmember who is running in a special election for the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to her campaign email.
The workers also allege that PPSE told them they would be paid for unused time off, as granted in the employee handbook, only if they agreed to sign a nondisparagement provision blocking them from criticizing the organization publicly or making claims under Title VII. They refused the deal, the lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs are seeking lost wages and benefits, damages, and legal expenses, including under the ADA for Black.
“These six brave women tried to save Planned Parenthood Southeast,” Artur Davis, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs with HKM Employment Attorneys LLP, said in the press release. “The many champions and funders of the Planned Parenthood Community deserve to know that something went badly wrong in their chapter down south. Restoring PPSE is not possible without providing justice and remedying the damages to these women.”
In her own lawsuit against PPSE, Akposé accused the organization of discriminating against her and other Black employees by not giving her the legal and public relations resources to defend herself against a “coordinated online smear campaign by former personnel,” and only retained such resources for the white PPSE board chair. She also claims that she was viewed and treated with hostility due to her Christian faith.
Akposé did not immediately respond to Prism’s request for comment.
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